E-Government, DirectGov

 Different Services;

-Student Finance

-Car Tax

-Jobseeker’s Allowance

-Driving Theory Test

-Passports

Information Services;

-Britons living abroad, http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/BritonsLivingAbroad/BeforeYouGo/DG_4000018

-Employment, http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/index.htm

-Pension And Retirement Planning, http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/index.htm

-Crime And Justice, http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/CrimeJusticeAndTheLaw/index.htm

Online Reporting And Advice;

-Flood Advice, http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/31618.aspx

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Online Payments;

-Passports, http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/index.htm?PRO=hp&CRE=pop

-Benefits, Money, Tax, http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/index.htm

DirectGov is a useful website if you know what you’re looking for as it is quite complicated if you go on there just for a browse not knowing exactly what you want. I can see myself using this website in future for car tax and passport etc as all this will be probably be stopped applying for by paper. 

Download Services

“Why download rather than buy the actual physical copy?”

It is a lot easier to download rather than to buy the actual copy because say music for example, literally everyone has some form of iPod and because of this we download music so we have a huge range of music on our iPod so all we have to carry round is that rather then a stereo system with twenty different albums.

“What problems have you encountered when downloading products?”

Problems we encounter whilst on downloading services are internet problems. If you have rubbish internet for example, Orange or TalkTalk, then you see the buffering symbol every two seconds. Also if you’re trying to download a two and a half hour film it will take about five hours to download it because of poor internet speeds. Also if you download illegally through YouTube Convertor, or any other sites, then you may encounter a lot of virus issues because these websites are made by third parties and are illegal making them a hornet’s nest for viruses and Trojans etc.

“How does it fulfil its purpose?”

It fulfils its purpose very well because for example if I went on iTunes purely to download a song then it would purchase and download that song safely without viruses and to the best quality as it’s the official track. Also if we download films from iTunes or Love Film then that film will be purchased and downloaded to its best quality. This fulfils its purpose well because they provide the service they are there to do.

Reliable Real Time Information? Sunday 23rd September 2012

Today's weather forecast has been accurate to the BBC weather page. Light rain fell at predicted times, and heavy rain fell at it's predicted times. To conclude this 5 day experiment I would say that the BBC weather page is very accurate to its weather forecast and wind speed however, I feel that the temperatures are not always as accurate as they could be.

Reliable Real Time Information? Sunday 23rd September 2012

Today it is predicted to be mainly cloudy however, heavy rain later on tonight. Highest temperature for today is 13 degrees and the lowest will be 9 degrees. Wind speed for today is 14 mph travelling South, South East.

Reliable Real Time Information? Saturday 22nd September 2012

Today the weather, temperature and wind were all as predicted and around the approximate time predicted. Just one more day now for this investigation and all so far have been accurate, if not precise.

Reliable Real Time Information? Saturday 22nd September 2012

Today the BBC weather page predicts that the highest and lowest temperature will be 6 degrees. Also predicts it will be clear skies mainly throughout the day but sometimes sunny with some clouds. Average wind speed of 4 mph travelling South, South East.

Reliable Real Time Information? Friday 21st September 2012

For a third day running the BBC weather page has been rather accurate as throughout the day there were light rain showers as predicted, and at the times precited. However, I do believe that temperature may have been slightly off although it could have just been the wind making it feel cooler. 

Reliable Real Time Information? Friday 21st September 2012

According to the BBC, today, the highest temperature will be 12 degrees and the lowest will be 6 degrees. The average wind speed will be 7 mph and it is predicted to be light showers throughout most of the day.

Reliable Real Time Information? Thursday 20th September 2012

Today, for the second consecutive day, the BBC weather page has been accurate. It has been lightly showering/raining throughout the day as predicted and at predicted times was quite warm. This weather information seems to be rather reliable however, we will see over the next few days as this is a five day investigation into real time information websites.

E-Commerce, Online Banking

I have re-searched into HSBC (HSBC Website) and Halifax (Halifax Website)online banking websites. Their purposes are to provide a service to the public to make banking easier. For example, they do not have to go into town just to get a statement just to make sure their wages have been paid in or rent has been taken out. Meaning online banking makes it more convenient for us all to check our finances. Also people might not have the time to go to the bank as they may be working when the bank are open.

Its intended for people 16 and over and for people who do not have the time to visit the bank because of work or family commitments. Also for people who like to keep track of their finances to make sure their instalments have been paid out on time.

They do fulfil their purposes as it provides the service you expect. You can check your finances and transfer money from the comfort of your own living room.

Advantages it's easier to do then paying for bus fare or petrol and parking costs to go into town to check your finances. Therefore it is very convenient as you transfer money easily. However there is a disadvantage. We can not always be sure that we are transferring money safely and securely. Many people have been hacked into and had money spent on items at their expense. There is not an easy way to get this money back as the banking company may not believe you have been hacked. Although, to try and prevent this there have been measures taken for example HSBC, send a security key through the post to you that you have to use when logging in online to make sure it is you.

Reliable Real Time Information? Thursday 20th September 2012

According to the BBC weather page the average highest temperature for today will be 15 degrees, and the lowest will be 11 degrees. Average wind speed for the day is 8 mph and it will be showering throughout most of the day.

Reliable Real Time Information? Wednesday 19th September 2012

Today the weather has been accurate to the Real Time Information page of the BBC for DN3 (Doncaster) postcode. It has been very cloudy with one or two showers, as the BBC predicted and at the time the BBC predicted. The temperature has also been to predictions, meaning we can rely on the BBC's weather page as it is reliable and accurate. 

E-Commerce, eBay.

eBay has one main purpose, which is to sell items online to anyone who wishes to purchase them. A lot of these items are quite obscure items from years ago that someone used to have in their childhood and wish to purchase again as a reminder of their childhood. It lets people, of any age, sell and buy items online. Its target audience is people of all ages as there is something for everyone on the website.

The auction process does work well in some aspects of the website. From a sellers point of view it is good because the more interest they get the more money they will make as more people will keep placing bids if they desperately want that item. However from a buyers point of view, it is not always good as the seller can get friends, or a fake account, to help push up the bidding price of the item. This is morally wrong and unfortunately for us, not illegal.

eBay fulfils its purposes quite well as it provides its service rather well. However some people use it as a way to scam people, or to try and hack into their computer once that person purchases their item.

eBay can benefit many people, in that you don't even have to move from the comfort of your own home to buy something. You simply sit in your living room search for your item, purchase the item then sit and wait for it to arrive at your doorstep! However, like with everything in life there are certain limitations, one limitation is that sometimes the item you purchase could actually be a scam for example, a man bought gig tickets on eBay and contacted the seller. The seller of these tickets said that he would meet the buyer outside the venue of the gig to hand over the tickets. The buyer had already paid online on eBay and the seller never turned up.

Reliable Real Time Information? Wednesday 19th September 2012

Today, according to the BBC Weather page, it will be, on average, sunny, with maximum temperature of 14 degrees, minimum 10 degrees and average 13 mph winds. Later I will post a comment to see if this was correct or not.

Newsgroups

Newsgroups have advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that if you get a lot of people posting in reply to your topic then you can get your point across and have a discussion gathering information on that certain topic from a variety of views. 

There are limitations for example, if you don't get anyone post in reply to your topic then there is no discussion and you can no longer gain any information or anything. It becomes merely a post on the internet. Also you have to have an account, log in details, to be able to post in these newsgroups which will put a lot of people off as they cannot be bothered to sign up to the website. Therefore these limitations make newsgroups absolutely useless.

Newsgroups can be both useless and useful, depending on whether you get people replying to your post or not.

Journey Planning | Real Time Information

Real time information websites are for example news websites and travel websites. They are updated regurlaly so we have a live feed of what's happening or if the weather's changing. We used these websites to plan our journey from Doncaster to the Olympic Park in London. All the information we needed was there for example distance, cost and duration. We had to plan a journey by train and by car. I used the National Rail Enquiries website to plan my journey by train, National Rail Timetable. For my jounrey by car I used the Google Map for directions and information, AA Route Planner. I found these websites very user-friendly and simple to use for my intentions.

Online Shopping

Today I used Amazon.co.uk to pre-order an Xbox game. I pre-ordered Fifa 13. I used Amazon because it's service is very reliable and the website is easy to use to purchase and pre-order items. It takes only a couple of minutes to go through the check-out process as I have an account on Amazon with my bank details on that are kept securely on Amazon's server data base. I used Amazon rather then going into town because it saves money on the bus-fare and I don't have to move out of the comfort of my own home.

Instant Messaging Services Online

I have used multiple instant messaging to communicate with friends on numerous occasions, even on a daily basis. I have used these on numerous devices like PC, Phone and Tablet. I do this rather then ringing a friend or texting a friend because it is faster and easier. Also I may use instant messaging instead of texting or ringing a friend because I may have gone over my contract on my phone. Examples of instant messaging services are; Facebook Chat, Skype, Xbox LIVE and Msn.

I use Facebook chat to communicate with friends and family on a daily basis. This is because they have all got accounts on Facebook therefore it is easy to get hold of people instantly. Also Facebook Chat is free to use therefore making it a top priority to talk to someone. Facebook Chat is nice and easy to use because before the chat was integrated into Facebook you had to have a separate window open for Msn to talk to people.

I rarely use Skype however, it is a very good way of communicating with friends and family. Many people use Skype to have a video call with someone who lives in a different country. They also use Skype to see people if they cant get to their house because of the weather or any other circumstance.

I use Xbox LIVE on a daily basis to communicate with friends. Millions of people from all over the world are signed up to Xbox LIVE and are always online and playing. These people range from your MLG Professional American gamer to your amateur gamer. Xbox LIVE has many communication functions examples of these are; Party, Private Chat, Kinect Chat and Voice and Text Messages. Party chat allows up to eight people to be all talking to each other at any one time. Private Chat is for two people only. Kinect Chat is like a Skype Video Call. You can communicate with people from all around the world.

I used to use Msn on a weekly basis however, I do not use it anymore. I don’t use it anymore because of Facebook Chat. On Msn you could just write to people and/or have a video call with someone. Msn is seen to be the foundation of the information age because Skype is practically Msn again with its video call and text type functions. Also its text type function is now integrated on Facebook.

Online Shopping

There are many different examples of online shopping, ranging from weapons to a bag of frozen peas. Many people buy their groceries online from such shops like Tesco, Asda or Morrison's. They buy their groceries online because they may not have enough time to get to the shops with a busy lifestyle trying to balance their work-life around their children. Their bank account details when purchasing items online are kept very securely on that shops server. Also there are bidding websites like Gumtree and Ebay. Account details are also kept securely on these websites servers. People use these websites to purchase a variety of items. Gumtree is for items on sale in your local area so you can pick-up that item from the seller. For example I recently bought a TV from Gumtree and picked it up from the sellers house on the other side of the village. It was quick and easily accessible to purchase this TV.   

Instant Messenger | Facebook Chat

I regularly use Facebook chat as a way of communication, even to speak to someone who could just be downstairs in my house. I use this because it is a quick and simple way of contacting someone without having to leave the comfort of my bed. Also this is used worldwide to speak to a variety of people about a variety of topics and only you and the receiver of the messages can look at the messages, meaning it is safe and secure way of communication as technology expands. There are many others like this for example, twitter's direct messaging and Msn/Hotmail.

Communication

I have set-up a blogger account in aid of Applied IT course. Everyone in my class did also and we used Microsoft Outlook to E-mail eachother our blog URL's. We used E-mail rather then shouting out our URL's because it is alot easier an we can just copy and paste the URL's straight to the 'Add' box.

Online Services

This is my personal audit of all communications, collaborative research and investigations, about all online services and the imformation age.

The areas I will be covering include;

• Communication
• Real Time Information
• E-Commerce
• E-Government
• Education
• Business
• Entertainment